CRUELLY robbed of his maiden first-class century at Worcester last Friday, Gary Pratt duly reached the landmark yesterday as he held Durham together when they were in danger of under-achieving.

With a mature blend of glorious strokes and commendable patience, the 21-year-old left-hander from Crook went on to contribute 150 to the total of 325 for nine against Northamptonshire at Riverside.

Other than Martin Love's 251 at Lord's last year, it was the highest championship score by a Durham batsman since Paul Collingwood made 153 at Edgbaston in May, 2001.

After his 85 at Worcester, Pratt improved his championship-best for the second successive innings and has now totalled 331 in his last five knocks after averaging 13.9 in his first ten of the season.

"When I saw the provisional list for next winter's ECB Academy last week I wasn't happy about some of the people who were preferred to me. I thought I had a point to prove," he said.

"I'm playing straighter and I have a better game plan now than earlier in the season.

"I wasn't really nervous in the 90s, I was just happy to defend and get through them in ones. But it was a brilliant feeling to get there.

"I just took it in for 30 seconds then got my head down again and tried to concentrate even harder. I knew I had a job to do and I wanted to bat all day.

"The new ball swung and it has seamed a bit all day, so I think it's a decent total."

With the groundsman's search for extra pace in the pitch showing encouraging signs of paying dividends, it was disappointing that no-one else got past 30 until No 9 Liam Plunkett made an unbeaten 38.

It looked an excellent surface, and while the new ball swung in the heavy atmosphere, once it had lost its hardness the opportunity was clearly there for runs to flow.

But until Plunkett helped take 34 off the first five overs with the new ball, the only time when both batsmen were going well was in a fifth-wicket stand of 59 in 17 overs between Pratt and Vince Wells.

One shot from Wells which sped to the point boundary with the minimum of effort showed how much better the ball was coming on to the bat.

Northants, who lost the toss, chose to play two off-spinners in Jason Brown and Graeme Swann and it was largely Brown's accuracy which persuaded Pratt to spend 41 balls in the nervous 90s.

He was on 99 when Swann returned at the other end and there was a brief scare when Pratt tried to take a quick single to mid-off and was sent scampering back by Shoaib Akhtar.

Swann then turned one sharply past the outside edge, but Pratt ran the last ball of the over through gully for the single which took him jubilantly to his century off 204 balls.

Prior to pulling Mike Cawdron viciously for his 16th four to move into the 90s, he had batted fluently. But the combination of nerves and sheer determination not to give it away built up the tension for the expectant crowd as he edged to his hundred in singles.

While his father Gordon was there to see it, it was a pity that elder brother Andrew (highest score 93) wasn't as he continues his search for batting form in the second team.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment was that Nicky Peng fell for 18 after studiously playing himself in.

He is struggling to make the adjustment from one-day stroke-playing opener to four-day middle order man, and only two weeks after blasting 32 off the first three overs of a Twenty20 innings he spent 15 overs gathering his first eight runs.

He then cracked his one four through the covers off the back foot and turned the next ball to mid-wicket for three. But he was caught in two, or possibly three or even four minds when he tamely chipped a catch to short mid-wicket.

At 119 for four, Durham's chances of adding substantially to their meagre tally of six batting points from seven games were not great.

But Wells looked comfortable in making 30 before he became the third lbw victim for Cawdron, who also removed both openers with balls moving into them.

A 28-year-old Cheltenham College product, Cawdron's career appeared to be going nowhere after he was released by Gloucestershire and failed to make a first-class appearance in his first season with Northants last year.

But he was given his chance in last week's win against Hampshire and took three wickets in both innings. He followed up with six for 87 yesterday.

He also removed Gordon Muchall, who looked well set on 22 before he drove at a wide one and edged to the wicketkeeper. The thud of bat on turf as he departed was a sure sign he knew he had missed the boat.

Tasmanian Damien Wright got past Michael Gough's outside edge several times early on. When he returned for a second spell Pratt, on 14, survived a big lbw appeal off the first ball.

Then on 18 he edged Ben Phillips low to second slip, but that was the only chance he gave and shortly afterwards he rolled his wrists to turn Phillips sweetly to the mid-wicket boundary.

He reached 50 off 83 balls and stroked two fours through the covers, off front and back foot, in each of two successive overs from Wright after lunch.

That was the point when an afternoon run glut was on the cards, but Wells was trapped on the crease by Cawdron, then Phil Mustard again failed to capitalise on a good start, dabbling wide of off stump to be caught behind.

Shoaib included a six over long-off off Swann in his 18 before edging Wright to the wicketkeeper.

Runs flowed when the new ball was taken at 274 for seven after 99 overs. But after reaching 150 with three fours in an over off Cawdron, Pratt was trapped lbw by the next ball.

Nicky Phillips drove a return catch to Cawdron, leaving Nicky Hatch to surive to survive to the close of a day in which Northants got through eight more than the scheduled 104 overs.

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